Photo: YouTube / M3RC3R
This should go without saying, but stockpiling on tanks, other military equipment and weaponry, and keeping everything in your basement is not a good idea. It’s more than a bad idea: it’s a very expensive one, if you get caught.
And caught he did get. One 84-year-old man from Germany has been sentenced to suspended prison time and a hefty fine, following the 2015 discovery of an entire arsenal hidden in the cellar of his home in Heikendorf, Germany. At the time, the case made international headlines and the recovery of the items, particularly of a fully restored and complete (save for the tracks) 1943 Panther tank, became a public spectacle.
At the end of last month, the man’s case was in the final stretches. His attorney told the court that both a U.S.-based museum and local German collectors had approached him for the tank, and that he was willing to hand it over. He will have no choice but to do so now, since the court has ordered him to dispose of all the military equipment either by donation or sale within two years, the BBC reports.
Moreover, the man has received a suspended prison sentence of 14 months and a fine of €250,000 (approximately $300,000 at the current exchange rate). That’s a lot of money, but it’s actually half of what he was facing as a maximum, for being in violation of Germany’s War Weapons Control Act.
The 2015 raid took place as authorities were hunting for illegally obtained or owned Nazi memorabilia. In addition to the Panther tank, the man also owned an 88mm anti-aircraft flak cannon, a section of a V1 rocket, an assortment of pistols and assault riffles, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition. He’d owned the Panther since at least 1978, when he was seen driving it through town either for fun during the snow blizzard or as a snow plow. So, the fact that he had on his property was not a secret within the community.
When removed, the Panther no longer had tracks. The Army had to use modern-day tanks to tow it to the open road, where it was loaded onto a platform. This part of the recovery mission lasted some nine hours and required the participation of 20 men.
At the end of last month, the man’s case was in the final stretches. His attorney told the court that both a U.S.-based museum and local German collectors had approached him for the tank, and that he was willing to hand it over. He will have no choice but to do so now, since the court has ordered him to dispose of all the military equipment either by donation or sale within two years, the BBC reports.
Moreover, the man has received a suspended prison sentence of 14 months and a fine of €250,000 (approximately $300,000 at the current exchange rate). That’s a lot of money, but it’s actually half of what he was facing as a maximum, for being in violation of Germany’s War Weapons Control Act.
The 2015 raid took place as authorities were hunting for illegally obtained or owned Nazi memorabilia. In addition to the Panther tank, the man also owned an 88mm anti-aircraft flak cannon, a section of a V1 rocket, an assortment of pistols and assault riffles, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition. He’d owned the Panther since at least 1978, when he was seen driving it through town either for fun during the snow blizzard or as a snow plow. So, the fact that he had on his property was not a secret within the community.
When removed, the Panther no longer had tracks. The Army had to use modern-day tanks to tow it to the open road, where it was loaded onto a platform. This part of the recovery mission lasted some nine hours and required the participation of 20 men.
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